Should lawmakers get Facebook?

Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010

JUNEAU - Alaska legislators don't have access to the social networking Web site Facebook in their Capitol offices. And that may not change any time soon.

Curtis Clothier, an information technology manager with the Legislative Affairs Agency, recently asked the Legislative Council to authorize trial access through the rest of this session. A trial period is meant to gauge such things as network traffic, potential security risks and possible ethical issues.

The council last week put off a decision, pending further review.

Rep. Bill Stoltze said he was worried about a possible drain on productivity. And he and council chair Rep. John Harris said they had no firsthand knowledge of the site.